St. Louis Co. Settles Over Death of Suspect

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis County will pay nearly $50,000 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit involving a man who died after struggling with police.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Audrey Elkins filed suit over the death of her son, 31-year-old Craig Foster. He suffered from heart disease and asthma and died of complications from those conditions after his arrest by county police in 2008.

Police were seeking to serve a search warrant when they saw Foster run. It took seven officers to handcuff Foster, a suspected dealer in crack cocaine.

The lawsuit alleged that officers kicked Foster’s head while he was handcuffed. An autopsy found evidence of bruising on Foster’s head.

An internal investigation found the use of force was justified. None of the officers involved were disciplined.